Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Gallagher. Yesterday the minister outlined how the former government's tricky approach to budgeting has put several government programs and services at risk after 1 July. Can the minister update the Senate on how the former coalition government's budget would have impacted the national institutions here in the capital, which house and protect our national stories and culture?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Walsh for her question and, again, for her support for important national cultural institutions here in the territory that, as Senator Walsh said, house and protect our national stories and culture.

Labor's budget in October last year was the first step in cleaning up the budget mess left behind by the former government—a mess left by a tricky former government that deceptively trapped the budget with $4.1 billion worth of fiscal traps and funding cliffs for essential programs and zombie measures. Since then, we've only uncovered more evidence of these traps, these funding cliffs for programs that Australians rely on and treasure. We've also uncovered chronic underinvestment in the key cultural institutions that Australians treasure and are crumbling around us—literally crumbling. And those opposite did nothing. Those collecting institutions are there to make sure the most precious items of the Australian story are kept safe, kept publicly available and kept safe forever.

But the previous government did not intend to keep these precious items safe or intact forever; the previous government only intended to care for them until 30 June this year. What did they then do after that, I wonder? Just let the gallery sink into the lake? Let the tarp on the roof of the library stay there forever, flapping in the breeze? Additional funding runs out for the Maritime Museum on 30 June, for the Portrait Gallery on 30 June, for the National Museum on 30 June, for the Bundanon Trust on 30 June, for the National Film and Sound Archive on 30 June, for the National Gallery on 30 June, for the National Library on 30 June and for Old Parliament House on 30 June. Then we have other programs, which I no doubt will come to in my next answer to one of Senator Walsh's excellent questions.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Walsh, first supplementary?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was very pleased to visit the National Library with Senator White, who took a group of us there last Monday. It is truly amazing. Minister, how would the former government's tricky approach to budgeting have put Australia's online treasure, Trove, at risk?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Walsh for her advocacy for Trove. It is a program I have received significant representations on since taking on the role of finance minister. Trove is one of the Australian government's most visited online services, with more than 50,000 visits a day. Yet again, like the list that I went through before, it was chronically starved of funds by the coalition. Australians from every state and territory use Trove to research and find their family history, and it's a tool that helps Australians to get to know themselves better.

Not only does Trove attract more than 50,000 visits a day; it's got over 1,500 digitised newspaper titles and 900 partner institutions. Under the coalition's proposal, under their arrangements, it will run out of funding on 30 June this year, leaving thousands of Australians unable to research family history and to undertake that important work. This is what we are uncovering line by line as we work through the former government's budget. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Walsh, second supplementary?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, as more Australians operate their daily lives online, the role of the eSafety Commissioner is becoming even more crucial. Can the minister outline to the Senate how the former government's approach to this government agency would have left Australians more at risk online, and how the Albanese Labor government will take a different approach?

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Walsh. I understand why those opposite don't like this, because we're calling them out for the way they put their budget together.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Gallagher, please resume your seat. Order! Minister please continue.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We're calling them out for the way that they put their budget together, which was having the terminating measures, having funding for a year, don't fund things properly, have a fiscal cliff and leave it for someone else to worry about. Just like in energy policy and all those other areas, kick the can down the road, and actually let somebody else deal with it. Well, we—

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Was it a pretend budget?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll take the interjection from Senator Birmingham. We started cleaning up the mess in October—$4.1 billion. We started to clean up the mess and will continue it in this budget.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Minister Gallagher, please resume your seat.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Point of order, President. I can't even hear the minister's answer, and I'd like the opportunity to hear her very fine answers to these issues.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister Farrell. I asked the minister to resume her seat because there is too much disorder in the chamber, particularly from the frontbench on the left side, but not only there. I would ask senators—all senators—to listen respectfully and silently.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the important eSafety Commissioner, their important base funding of $10.3 million has never been increased since it was established in 2015, and they're facing a fiscal cliff of $23.3 million from 30 June this year. This is how they budgeted. They were budget vandals, and we're cleaning up the mess. (Time expired)